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Ramadan Teaches us the Power of Will and Resolve
Author : His Grace Shiekh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh
Date Added : 28-03-2023

Ramadan Teaches us the Power of Will and Resolve

 

 

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

The holy month of Ramadan is a divine gift manifesting mercy, goodness and blessings. Allah willed that this blessed month be the turning point of change in people`s life taking them from the darkness of ignorance into the light and mercy of Islam, from vice to virtue, from cruelty and disaffection to love, brotherhood and affection. Thus, this religion was initiated by sending Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) as a mercy to all creatures. Allah The Almighty Says {what means}: "We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures." {Al-Anbiya/107}. In this holy month, the earth was connected with the heaven and the first verses of the Quran were revealed to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) whom Allah sent as mercy to take people out of darkness into the light and out of misguidance into guidance. Allah Says {what means}: "Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting" {Al-Baqarah/185}. This made it the month of mercy and forgiveness.

One of the blessings of this great month is that it is one of the passages of life enabling a believer to revitalize his/her resolve and renew his/her faith. It is also a school of high will, doing righteous good deeds and drawing closer to Allah the Almighty Who told us that the fruit of fasting is the realization of piety and rising to the degree of His pious worshippers. He The Almighty Says {What means}: "O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint." {Al-Baqarah/183}.

The holy month of Ramadan teaches us to abandon the lusts/desires of the soul and body through quitting food, drink and coveted things. This is in addition to elevating the soul to the realms of spirituality through increasing prayers, worship, remembrance and glorification of Allah. Thus, it gets closer to the status of the angels about whom Allah Said (What means): " who flinch not (from executing) the Commands they receive from God, but do (precisely) what they are commanded." {At-Tahrim/6}. Ramadan is the month of change, offering acts of obedience, worshipping The Most Merciful and reciting the Quran.

This month, Muslims are undergoing a course in self-discipline to attain the piety for which fasting is prescribed. It is a test for changing self and society to the better as well as controlling desires. A Muslim realizes that he/she can quit not only lawful food and water, but also acts of disobedience and fight self that incites him/her to sins, evils and inflicting harm upon others.

From the perspective of the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions, Ramadan is the month of work and pivotal achievements in the history of the Islamic Uma. It has never been the month of laziness or inaction. Rather, it is an opportunity to revitalize resolve and receive the glad-tidings of success in all spheres of life. One of these pivotal events is the Battle of Badr, which Allah Called the Day of the Criterion because it differentiated between right and wrong and was won by the Muslims. It took place on the seventeenth of Ramadan. Another example is the Conquest of Makkah through which sanctities returned to the fold of Islam and large numbers of people accepted Islam. This Conquest took place on the twentieth of Ramadan. Therefore, Ramadan is the month of fighting self, curbing desires and competing in righteous good deeds. It is the duty of every Muslim to take advantage of these blessed days through fasting, night prayers and reciting the Quran to win Allah`s Mercy and Forgiveness and return free from sin as on the day a person was born. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "He who observes fasting during the month of Ramadan with Faith, while seeking its reward From Allah, will have his past sins forgiven." [Agreed upon]. And All perfect praise be to Allah The Lord of The Worlds.

 

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on waiving a debt owed by a debtor and counting it toward zakāh?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Waiving a debt owed by a debtor, with the intention of counting it toward zakāh, does not fulfill the zakāh obligation. Rather, it constitutes an ordinary act of charity, for which Allah rewards the giver generously — since one of the conditions for the validity of zakāh is that the person paying it must form the intention of zakāh at the actual moment the wealth is paid out. In this case, the debt has already been established as a standing obligation upon the borrower, so it is not valid to simply redirect the intention toward zakāh after the fact.
It is preferable, instead, for the creditor to first collect the debt from the debtor, and then return to him the amount of money he is required to pay as zakāh — or a portion of it — if the debtor happens to fall under one of the eight categories that Allah, the Exalted, has commanded be given from zakāh.
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik, from the books of the Shāfi‘ī school: "If someone gives [money] to a poor person, stipulating that the recipient return it to him in payment of a debt owed to him, or says, 'I am making what you owe me into zakāh, so take it [as such]' — this is not valid. But if he gives it to him with the [unstated] intention that the recipient will use it to repay him, or says, 'Repay what you owe me, so that I may [then separately] give it to you as zakāh,' or the debtor himself says, 'Give it to me, so that I may [then] repay you with it' — this is valid, and there is no binding obligation for the recipient to actually fulfill this [informal understanding]." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What are the conditions for the validity of the slaughtering process according to Sharia?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Regarding the Sharia-mandated conditions for the validity of the slaughtering process (Adh-Dhabh), they are as follows:
 
The Identity of the Slaughterer: The person performing the slaughter must be either a Muslim or from the People of the Book (Christian or Jewish).
 
The Required Cuts: Both the trachea (windpipe/breathing passage) and the esophagus (food passage) must be completely severed.
 
Stability of Life: The animal must possess stable life at the start of the slaughtering process. This is identified by clear signs, such as vigorous movement or the forceful gushing of blood after the throat and esophagus are cut.
 
The Tool of Slaughter: The tool used must be sharp, capable of cutting or piercing by its edge and not by its sheer weight or blunt force.
 
And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on a father shaking hands with his son’s wife after she has been divorced three times?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The wife of one’s son is among the women permanently prohibited to the husband’s father as soon as the marriage contract  is concluded, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Prohibited to you are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your paternal aunts, your maternal aunts, your brother’s daughters, your sister’s daughters, your foster mothers, your foster sisters, your wives’ mothers, and your stepdaughters under your guardianship [born] of your wives with whom you have consummated marriage. But if you have not consummated marriage with them, there is no sin upon you. [Also prohibited are] the wives of your sons who are from your loins, and that you take [in marriage] two sisters simultaneously, except for what has already occurred. Indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.” [al-Nisāʾ/23]
This prohibition begins once the son’s marriage contract with his wife is complete, and it remains in force even if the son separates from her before consummation or before any seclusion (khalwah) with her. It is therefore permissible for the father to shake her hand and to be alone with her, provided there is no fitnah (temptation) and no suspicion.
It is stated in ʿUmdat al-Sālik (p. 204): “It is forbidden to marry… the wives of one’s fathers and of one’s sons. All of these women become prohibited by the mere contract, … all of that being a permanent prohibition.” End quote, with slight adaptation. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on eating from one`s Udhiyah?

In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) is divided into two categories: the vowed sacrifice (Al-Mandhurah) and the voluntary sacrifice (Al-Tatawwu').
 
First: The Vowed Sacrifice (Al-Mandhurah)
This refers to a sacrifice that has become strictly obligatory due to a formal vow (Nadr). It is completely impermissible for the person offering it, or any members of their family whom they are financially obligated to maintain, to eat any of its meat or fat. Furthermore, it is unlawful for them to personally benefit from its hide, wool, or any other part of it. If they happen to eat any portion of it, the offerer is legally obligated to give an equivalent amount of meat or its monetary value to charity. (As noted in Tuhfat al-Muhtaj by Imam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami,Vol. 9/P.364).
 
Second: The Voluntary Sacrifice (Al-Tatawwu’)
This is a recommended, non-obligatory sacrifice. The person offering it is fully permitted to eat from its meat, distribute portions as charity to the poor, and give pieces as gifts to those who are well-off. However, it remains a mandatory requirement to donate at least a minor portion of it to charity; this should not be less than approximately half a kilogram of raw, uncooked meat. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

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